Disguises and Masks
by Samurai Smee
Summary: "God, he was so...complicated...and guarded, and...I loved him anyway." Rated M for a reason. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Disguises and Masks

 **Chapter One**

 _Dick's POV_

He's so cold.

Sitting there alone, not knowing that someone is watching him, wanting all of him.

I blink at the vision of so much calm, intriguing power as he continues to sit in silence, most likely pondering over the events of his patrol earlier this evening.

I would take all that cold darkness to have him.

That darkness is a part of who he is now.

Maybe it has always has been.

But it's no matter...I would take all of it.

He's worth it.

It's hard to turn away from the strong, shadowy presence, his bared but bandaged torso and arms illuminated only by meager lamplight, but I do.

Otherwise, it would only be a matter of time before he spotted me.

Besides, I really needed to get back to Bludhaven...

X

 _Third Person POV_

Several days later...

Bruce Wayne sighed where he sat at his computer in the cave and scrubbed his large hands up and down his face, exhausted.

He kept his head in his hands for a moment longer, taking slow breaths and letting his eyes remain closed while he cleared his mind.

He could have fallen asleep as he was, but his innate discipline would never allow him to do so.

He was currently researching the whereabouts of the Penguin's gang whom he had ran into a few nights before.

One of them had talked and gave him a few details but only after Batman had brawled his way through the throngs of goons that had been more than willing to challenge the Bat.

Bruce swallowed down some spit as he still could recall the immense pain that had wracked through his entire body upon receiving a devastating blow to his side from one of the goons swinging a pipe.

Bruce dropped his hands away from his face and sat up a little straighter.

"Careless..." he commented aloud, scolding himself for only him to hear but the word might as well have echoed through the hollow walls of the cave because the vigilante looked away once more.

"Master Bruce...are you quite alright, sir?" chimed a cheery, British voice from the elevator to Bruce's left.

Batman licked his lips, hearing his butler's question but not wanting to answer with any kind of truth.

"Alfred...do you think..." Bruce stopped himself before he could finish the thought, pensively placing the tip of his tongue against his top lip and then sighing again.

"...sir?" the aged butler prompted upon hearing his charge trail off the way he did, not at all used to seeing him look so foggy with a far-away expression.

Alfred took another step closer but Bruce suddenly rose from his chair, his impressive build dwarfing the butler as he quickly stepped around the man with steel in his movements.

"I'll be upstairs...I need to get some sleep," the Wayne heir spoke solidly, as if nothing had been bothering him at all, as he navigated to the stairs beside the elevator and then dashed up the steps.

Alfred watched him leave in a hurry and frowned, knowing that he would try to talk to Bruce again later because he knew he would need it.

Bruce only slowed down his pace once he was a few steps inside the Wayne manor and out of the cave as he now took his time walking through the great lounge on the main level, light blue eyes not even bothering to look at the priceless artifacts and bobbles he had amassed over the years that sat pristine on display.

" _I don't know what's wrong with me..."_ Bruce finally let his thoughts ring clearly inside his own mind as he ventured towards a set of marble stairs to reach the second level, _"I haven't been feeling like myself lately...like I'm losing strength or that I need more training...or that..."_

The secretly downtrodden billionaire reached the master bedroom and padded inside, not stopping until he sat down on the expansive mattress and could relax his heavy shoulders.

" _...that I'm just..."_

Bruce swallowed hard but it was too late from stopping the single word to manifest itself within his mind, with all of its weight and implications already taking hold of him and not letting go.

" _...lonely."_

Bruce laid down on his back with his head on a pillow and threw an arm over his eyes, hating the word and how true it was.

X

Meanwhile...

A vigilante costumed in black and bright blue leap gracefully from rooftop to rooftop in Bludhaven, his lithe body twisting through the air like one would expect to see in the main show of a circus.

"I mean...I'm not an idiot, I know there's big age difference..." Nightwing was in the middle of speaking matter-of-factly to himself as he dove off of the next, taller building, arms stretched wide as if he was meant to receive applause and praise from a crowd.

"Let's see...is he...forty-five...or forty-six now?" Dick Grayson continued to speak nonchalantly as he volleyed off of the affixed fencing on the rooftop, making his legs dive off of the edge of the building so that he could shoot down towards the street like a bullet out of a gun.

Nightwing had heard commotion coming from this area several blocks away and had decided to intervene, but not without continuing to have his current conversation with himself over his dilemma.

"Wait...yep, he's forty-six..." Dick confirmed out loud upon landing in the alley, right next to the men fighting and grappling all around, "...because I remember Tim telling me last year for his birthday they ran out of candles after after getting three packs of twelve so they had to get another box and throw two of them away so they would have forty-six."

"Who the hell are you? And who are you talking to, kid?" one of the thugs stopping throwing wild punches long enough to fix Nightwing with a hard, questioning look.

"So he is going to be forty-seven later this year...I can live with that," Nightwing chuckled to himself before pulling both of his eskrima sticks from the holsters on his back and then launching into a flashy attack, going head over heels with his legs sprawled wide on either side of him.

The nearly unavoidable maneuver knocked over multiple thugs right away and gained the rapt attention of those who had not been immediately affected.

All of them came barreling towards the odd, costumed, and undeniably upbeat stranger.

"Why you little punk!" a hard-nosed goon growled, rearing his meaty fist back to strike down the interrupting vigilante, but he was too slow, for Nightwing was moving effortlessly amongst the gathered bodies, striking efficiently and making them fall to his feet.

"How do I even start a conversation like this, though? I mean, it's definitely not like how it is with the others after a hard night's work, you know what I mean?" Dick prattled on in high spirits and a pep in his step as he threw both of his eskrima sticks at the same time while jumping high to his left, making the charging thug miss him and slam face-first into the building.

 _Slam!_

 _Crack!_

The eskrima sticks did not miss their marks, and Dick sighed in boredom with only two goons left to go.

One foolishly rushed toward Nightwing with a length of chain raised high about his head, shouting nonsense that made the masked vigilante run a hand through his sleek, blue-black hair and half-way glance his way.

"Maybe I'm over-thinking the whole thing...wait, what am I saying?" Grayson comically smacked his own palm against his forehead before throwing two intricately designed blades at just the right moment to swipe the chain right out of the thug's hands and pin in to the brick wall behind him, "...when it comes to that one, there is no such thing as over-thinking. I guess I am an idiot after all."

The goon stopped short upon being relieved of his weapon but Nightwing was already underneath him, sweeping his legs out in a fluid kick that sent the man crashing to the ground with a yell.

"Oh, pipe down, would ya...I'm sort of in the middle of a crisis here," Nightwing said to the baffled and defeated thug before clocking him squarely in the nose and making him go to sleep.

One left.

Dick rose up from the ground and collected his discarded eskrima sticks before slowly walking towards the single man trying to carefully back away without tripping over the unconscious bodies now littering the alleyway.

"W-wait...please...I barely know these guys; I just sort of got wrapped up in -" the burly man began pleading to Nightwing with his hands held up in a classic surrender gesture.

Nightwing continued to move towards him until he was right in the man's face, curling his gloved hands in the front of the guy's jacket and glaring at him through the white lenses of his domino mask.

"Get ready to bl-" Nightwing had begun to say but was cut off by the goon suddenly speaking again as if his very life depended on it.

"I...I think if you really do care for this person you've been talking about, then any kind of outside circumstances shouldn't really matter! You mentioned an age difference, but clearly you can't stop thinking about this person and you definitely strike me as a guy who knows what he wants, so I think you should just go for it!"

Nightwing opened his mouth to say something, anything, but closed it and then relaxed his hold on the man's clothing.

"What's your name?" Dick asked plainly as he finally let go of the man's jacket and and helped him straighten the wrinkles.

"Uh...it's Fred..." the goon provided hesitantly as he brushed off the dust from his jacket and pants, the well-trained vigilante still right in his face and watching him.

"You like coffee, Fred? Let's go get some coffee, my treat. I know this great place just up ahead on the corner that has the best pastries. So, Fred, it's like this...I've known this person for a really long time and you might even say I grew up with him and..." Dick looped a friendly arm around the thug's shoulders and steered them both onto the street and towards the nearby coffee shop, already talking animatedly to Fred who had no choice but to listen to his new pal.

X


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

 _Third Person POV_

The following week...

"How's everything going in school? Learning a lot?" Bruce spoke as he kept his cell phone balanced in between his shoulder and his ear while he sat down in the kitchen and unfolded the morning newspaper.

"It's going really well so far, but I do miss staying at the manor. I think I got more sleep there than I do here, and that's including going on patrols," Tim Drake replied from the other end, making Bruce chuckle as he sipped his coffee.

"Enjoy it while you can. Everything will still be here when you come back," Bruce assured his newest Robin even though he knew he did not have to.

Of all the Robins over the years, Tim was the sharpest, needing very little direction and was always a self-starter.

Bruce Wayne had every faith that Tim would excel in his studies in college.

"Thanks. Well, I had better get going. These essays aren't going to write themselves'" Tim informed his caretaker over the phone, "Oh, and if you see Dick, would you tell him I say hello and that he's due for another visit? It can get pretty lonely here sometimes with only books and reports for company."

" _I know what you mean..."_ Bruce kept that thought to himself but instead replied, "Will do. Take care, Tim."

Bruce let the phone drop to his hand and ended the call, light blue eyes already scanning over the newspaper in front of him even though his mind was somewhere else entirely.

" _If you see Dick, would you tell him I say hello and that he's due for another visit..."_ Tim's parting words were stuck in the crime fighter's genius brain as he turned them over a few times, considering the person whom they had just been discussing.

" _It's been two years since Dick left Gotham to live and work in Bludhaven..."_ Bruce could not help but rewind the information he knew too well just for him to replay it all over again, _"...he's only come back a few times to help out when things got bad."_

Bruce lifted his mug again to his lips but stopped the action mid-way through, icy blue eyes staring at nothing out in front of him.

" _Does he really hate me that much?He said he did right before he left, but..."_

"I take it that was Master Tim just now?" Alfred strode into the kitchen and stood cordially with his hands folded behind his back, his somber voice stirring the vigilante out of his darkening thoughts.

Bruce sipped his coffee and hummed to indicate the positive.

"He said he's enjoying school but that's hardly a surprise coming from him," Bruce answered with a knowing look up at this loyal butler who was busy eyeballing his simple grey T shirt that stretched across his broad chest and shoulders and black sweatpants.

"Ah, yes. Sir, if I may, you do have work scheduled for the day which it seems will be starting in a little over an hour," Alfred reminded his charge as politely as he could that Bruce was nearing being late.

Bruce cracked his neck and rolled a shoulder to work out the kinks he could still feel riddling through him from the previous night's skirmish on top of the clocktower.

"Thanks, Alfred...I'll hurry," he almost laughed at the way Alfred smirked at his smart tone, but stood up from his chair nonetheless.

Bruce put his morning routine on autopilot as he quickly showered, dressed in a perfectly tailored Armani suit, parted and combed his ink-black locks, and then selected from his assortment of lavish accessories for the day.

In truth, the Wayne heir hated all of it, every single step he had to take to look like this before stepping outside in public...he hated it.

This was his real costume.

He hated the gold watch now dangling from his wrist that matched the glittering cufflinks he had also chosen.

He hated the rich, spicy scent of the cologne that now decorated his collar.

He hated the squeeze of the suit against his arms, the constricting design of the material made so he would seem even taller and more slender than he actually was. He was so much broader than most other men, men that should be wearing suits like these every day to go to work, so now Bruce only felt foolish in one.

This was his costume, indeed – trying to fit in with everyone else when he simply could not.

With a sigh at his reflection as he straightened his cuffs one last time, Bruce set out, knowing that Alfred would have the car ready.

X

 _Dick's POV_

Later that same day...

" _Ugh, don't be nervous...what's there to be nervous about...I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"_ Dick Grayson's thoughts whirred nonstop as he waited impatiently for his next train, bouncing on the balls of his feet with his hands tucked in the pockets of his blue hoodie.

" _Well now that I think about it, there is a lot that could go wrong..."_ Dick's own thoughts continued to supply him with answers and utterly maddening possibilities, navy blue eyes watching as his train approached the station and slowly came to a noisy stop.

The acrobat hefted his heavy backpack a little higher on his shoulders, making sure not to bump into anyone around him who were also waiting on the train, and watched as all sets of doors opened to receive passengers.

" _He could get super mad, say he never wants to see me again..."_ Grayson mentally checked the worst-case scenarios in his head as he provided his ticket and then boarded the train, already choosing to stand and hold onto one of the poles in the center so someone else could have his seat, _"...or he could just want to deck me in the face a few times. And really, what's a few more punches to the mouth? True, if they were coming from Bruce, that's one thing...oh man, this might get ugly and I really do like my teeth where they are."_

Dick frowned as the train sped off towards his hometown.

X

Meanwhile at Wayne Enterprises...

"If we really changed up our strategy to penetrate more into the global playing ground versus national economical markets, then Wayne Enterprises could expand to Metropolis by the end of next quarter! London and Shanghai by the following year!" one of the board members and his team announced proudly at the conclusion of their presentation inside the contemporary conference room.

The other members applauded the presentation respectfully until the speaker voiced, "What do you think, Mr. Wayne?"

Bruce had barely heard a word they had said the entire time, his elbows on the table and his hands folded in front of his chin while he his mind had drifted over and over into thinking about one word that continued to haunt him.

" _Alone."_

" _You're here right now, in this room with these people, and so...lonely."_

" _You'll always be alone...die alone."_

"Mr. Wayne?"

"Hm? Oh, yes...my thoughts on expansion," Bruce smoothed the back of a finger across his eyelid and then folded his hands once again, fixing the presenters with a hard, no-nonsense stare.

" _...going to get killed...one day...in an alley...all alone...because no one can stand to be around you any more."_

"I think..." Bruce began, hating it, hating everything happening right now and feeling stifled as a result.

" _Dick left..."_

"The proposal for expansion seems like the next logical step for us, but we need more solid data to ensure the risk before we can steps to proceed," Bruce baffled the room immediately, thankfully able to have this kind of corporate jargon flow from his mouth with relative ease.

" _Jason was killed..."_

"We need to see if the Wayne name as a successful company can easily go into these bigger markets and capture some of that value. New numbers don't just appear out of nowhere, you have to take them over from someone else," he continued, casting his gorgeous gaze across the conference room a few times, seeing many of his employees hurrying to take notes on what he was saying while the rest just sat back in their chairs and let Bruce's words wash over them.

" _Tim tolerates me, but it's not the same as it was with..."_

"I'd like to see a full market analysis including mock ROI projections on my desk by next week and then we can call another meeting. Thank you, gentlemen, for your time today," Bruce finished and was already standing up from his leather chair and moving out of the room.

He felt like he couldn't breathe, like he was burning up and needed fresh air or else he would suffocate.

Bruce strode seemingly confidently to his office where he locked the double doors and then went to the window.

He laid his palms flat against the cool glass and slowed his breathing, eyes low and watching the normal hustle and bustle of Gotham below him.

The other skyscrapers and towers that decorated Miagani Island were beautiful in the bright afternoon sun and sky, and Bruce felt calmer.

" _I miss him...I wonder what he's up to these days,"_ the vigilante closed his eyes for a moment as the thought slowly crept through him, not leaving him sad or upset this time...just mindful.

Feeling infinitely better than he had in that conference room a few moments ago, Bruce lowered his hands from the windows and instead slid them into the pockets of his pants, standing a little taller and more relaxed.

 _Bzzzt._

"Mr. Wayne, there's someone here to see you," the billionaire's personal secretary buzzed his office to let him know.

Bruce really did not want to see anyone right now and locked his jaw before replying.

"Do they have an appointment?" Bruce asked the secretary upon pushing the tiny button on the intercom system located on his huge wooden desk.

"...sir...sir you can't just go in there like... _Bzzzt._ "

Bruce cocked an eyebrow at the odd statement his secretary just made before the comm was disconnected.

Suddenly, the office doors swung open.

"Old friends don't need appointments to see each other, do they, Bruce?"

Bruce's tense jaw loosened the moment he had heard that familiar, lighthearted voice; his lips parting in a silent gasp as none other than Dick Grayson strolled into his office, seemingly manifesting right out of Bruce's thoughts just now.

Dick's smile was just as bright and blinding as Bruce had remembered it being and it suited the acrobat perfectly.

He had always been a stunning sight of a man to behold.

"Dick..." Bruce's voice had been softer than he had anticipated it being, but there was no stopping his evident relief from showing upon seeing one of his most treasured people in the world.

X


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

 _Dick's POV_

Bruce always did look drop dead gorgeous in a suit, I had to hand it to him.

My confidence had been on a rollercoaster ride during my travels here to see him in Gotham, rising and falling, and then rising again as my every step brought me closer and closer to so many familiar places and things.

And _him_...the most intriguing person I had ever known.

Now, standing here, looking at the object of my obsession for the passed year in his immaculate office with this baby blue eyes as sharp as any knife staring right back at me, I could feel my heart rate skyrocket to Mars and back and I knew I had made the right decision after all.

" _Fred was right,"_ I thought humorously, almost making myself laugh out loud at seemingly nothing but I refrained, just barely.

"It's been a long time," I spoke carefully but not without my usual charismatic tone as I ventured further into his huge office, taking my time as I looked over the many bust sculptures and books that lined the far bookcases on either end.

Bruce nodded and licked his lips, I noticed.

"What brings you here, Dick? Is everything alright in Bludhaven?" he posed the questions straight away, cutting to the chase and already assuming that something had to have been wrong in order for me to seek him out.

I smirked sadly at the realization as I continued moving about his office, not quite ready to face him just yet.

Bruce always did have that kind of power over me - such a commandeering presence that made it feel like when his sole attention was on just you, it could either break you apart or drive you insane or...in my case...

I stopped and smiled at him, now closer than I had been before.

Bruce blinked and waited for me to say something, all hard lines and restrained, immense power hidden beneath those trim seams of his suit and tie that I wanted to rip off of him right there.

I wanted him to be open and raw with me right now. I wanted us both to say exactly what we wanted, how we wanted, with no other prerogatives or agendas getting in the way for once.

God, he was so...complicated...and guarded, and...I loved him anyway.

That's what his presence really did to me, something that I could not acknowledge fully two years ago and it was later that I realized that most of my frustrations with this man...had been my own damn fault.

"Want to get something to eat? It was long trip and I'm starving," I proffered casually instead, bringing up a hand to slide through my naturally blue-black hair and push the stubborn locks out of my face while I smiled again at him, letting him know in my own way that I was not here on business.

Bruce looked a bit troubled for a moment as he looked away, breaking our eye contact and I watched intently as he directed his crystal-blue gaze over his impressive desk for a moment.

Then, he reached down and pushed a small button located next to a round speaker that appeared to be built into the wood there.

 _Bzzzzt._

"Yes, Mr. Wayne?" his female secretary answered right away, the same lady I had given the slip on my way into the office.

"Cancel my two o'clock. I'm going out for lunch with a friend," Bruce spoke evenly to his secretary, keeping his eyes lowered to the speaker and not seeing the way I smirked at his words.

"Of course, sir."

"So...did you have something specific in mind or should we just see what happens?" the Dark Knight asked me with a bit of color in his voice, standing up straight again and gently smiling at me.

I knew he was referring to food for our lunch, but I could not help but register his words an entirely different way.

I smiled and shoved my hands back inside my pockets.

"I uh...I know what I want, " I answered more than his question about food with my words, something the World's Greatest Detective would just have to figure out for himself later, "...whenever you're ready, Mr. Wayne."

Bruce and I walked to the doors of his office, him gathering up a long black overcoat in his hands from the standing coat hanger before opening the door for us.

Wayne Enterprises was truly a magnificent building, decorated with burnt peach coloring and trimmed in gold and dark wood all throughout the lengthy corridors, and I could not help but give my surroundings another once-over as we approached the row of elevators.

I did make sure to playfully wink at Bruce's secretary who had been giving me the stink-eye on our way out.

Bruce pushed the button on the elevator to go down to the main level, making the golden doors close in front of us, revealing our reflection and differences in height and build.

Bruce had his hands in his suit pockets again as his baby blue eyes watched the floors pass by on the little illuminated numbers overhead, looking regal and powerful and important, and I could feel my tongue start to go dry from being so close to him like this.

It really had been too long.

"I spoke to Tim this morning," Bruce's somber baritone filled my ears as he dropped his gaze from watching the numbers and continued, "...he wants you to visit him at school soon."

"Yeah, I guess it has been a while since I last saw our resident bookworm, hasn't it?" I voiced rhetorically as I lifted a hand and scratched at the back of my head before rolling my shoulders around a few times.

Bruce noticed and looked down at me by his side and I could feel the heat of his gaze, the impact of his attention...all of it affecting me.

 _Bing!_

The elevator arriving on the main floor shocked me back into reality and I hustled out onto the sprawling foyer cluttered with well-dressed people coming and going, all seeming be chatting away on their cell phones and just basically looking busy.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Wayne!" a man suddenly voiced from my left, making me cock my head towards that direction in time to see Bruce put on a small smile that did not reach his gorgeous eyes as he nodded to the speaker in passing.

"Oh! Mr. Wayne!" another voice called from a different direction, making him direct that gentle smile to someone else as he waved briefly, "...have a great day, Mr. Wayne!"

" _Jeeze...well, I guess that's to be expected when you're hanging around the richest business tycoon in town,"_ I pulled a face at my own thoughts as I pushed through the revolving doors and turned around in time to see Bruce wave at a few more people before politely navigating through the crowd that had gathered to watch him leave.

I watched as he stepped outside of the building and joined me on the sidewalk, gracefully sliding his humongous arms in the sleeves of his wool coat and letting his remain unfastened on his chest.

He took a deep breath and his expression relaxed immediately, now that he was away from work and those people.

I smirked at his strong profile, finding him interesting to no end...every subtle emotion you could only see when you were this close to him and never when he was wearing his other suit for work.

"Feel better?" I could not help but ask him cheekily, watching expectantly as he turned those ice-blue eyes my way and blinked.

"You have no idea," Bruce answered with weight in his words as a cab pulled in front of us.

X

A little while later...

"Haha! You should have seen his face! It was priceless," I laughed over the rest of my perfectly cooked steak and baked potato, still holding the fork with my elbow resting on the pristine table, as I told him without mentioning too many names about a time that I had caught the Mad Hatter who had been using a mentally unstable woman as his pawn.

She was skilled and she had turned on him in the last minute.

It had not been pretty, and I was thankful that I was able to laugh about it so carefree now.

I finally brought the fork to its destination and devoured the piece of steak, humming again in pleasure at the divine taste.

Bruce had never seemed to mind my poor table manners, even as he sat in this extraordinary restaurant that he had insisted we come to instead of the corner diner I had spotted, as if he owned the place, or at least belonged to be featured in an upscale magazine about it.

He sat up straight, his posture picture-perfect and intimidating in how much control there was, as he took his time cutting his steak and sipping his red wine.

Regal really...Bruce looked like a king.

He had said he wanted to see me get a "decent meal" because "God knows how I've been eating on my own these passed few years."

Okay, he may have had a point.

I certainly had not been eating steaks as expensive as this all the time in Bludhaven.

He smirked over his wine glass before swallowing his drink and lowering the glass back down to the white clothed table.

"So..." I ran my tongue in between my teeth as I spoke, "...how's the League doing these days? Business still booming?"

Finished with his meal, Bruce slowly slid forward in his chair and set his elbows on top of the table, folding his fingers together and then piercing me again with those too-sharp eyes of his, eyes that saw everything but hid even more.

"Things are quiet, where the League is concerned, anyway," Bruce answered thoughtfully, attention lowering to the table for a moment while his flexed his fingers and made sure to keep his voice soft so no one would hear, "I've had a lot more time to stay in Gotham as a result, so that's new."

I chuckled at his dry humor and leaned forward as well, fixing him with an analytical stare of my own as I assessed everything from his body language to how many times he scratched his thumb nail against his other hand.

"How's Diana these days? Are you two still together...?" I had to probe for more information, specifically this type of information, and I kept my eyes glues onto his handsome face while I posed such an invasive question.

My former mentor looked up in surprise for a second before moving his tongue around the inside of his mouth, still tasting that red wine there, I was sure.

I bet it tasted sweet.

"Dick, Diana and I are just colleagues...that's all. That hasn't changed and -" he had begun to regale his normal prattle about this particular topic but I had to intervene and get more insight into where he was really at with this issue.

"Oh, come on, Bruce. I've never seen a woman act so ga-ga over someone before," I pushed the topic a bit, still gauging his every reaction to my words even though I appeared to be sitting comfortably and talking nonchalantly with him now, "...she obviously likes you and can hold her own to be in a relationship with you, so what's the problem?"

I almost expected Bruce to sit back in his chair, to lower his eyes, to pick up his wine again...anything that would have let me know that he was seriously considering my point.

He did neither of these things.

His eyes remained locked onto mine and his hands were still.

He was solid in both his demeanor and his decision.

"We're too different, she and I," Bruce answered me straight out, and I could hear the truth he placed in his words and feel the underlying pain behind them that he had probably never told anyone before, "...Diana has one of the purest sense of justice in the League, and...I can't compromise that. If she and I were together, it would only result negatively for the team."

I digested his words, barely even noticing the waiter as he stopped by our table to collect Bruce's quick payment for our meal.

He was really saying...that he would bring her down...that he was no good for her or for anybody.

He would darken her morals.

I felt both heartache and anger that he would have those kinds of thoughts, that those were the reasons why he had not let anyone get close to him.

If anything, I would bet most of the Justice League would value Batman's sense of justice over anyone else, so hearing that from him now almost made me pound my fist through this table.

"Listen, Bruce..." I began gently but was cut off almost immediately.

"Let's cut to the chase," Bruce spoke firmly, unfolding his hands and relaxing his shoulders, "...why are you really back in Gotham, Dick? Something must be up. This is too sudden. Did the League contact you?"

Now it was my turn to hold his gaze, to remain solid under his examination of me and not back down.

I smiled a broad smile and scooted my chair back, knowing that it was time for us to start getting ready to leave the restaurant.

I also knew that I still needed more time to tell him my true intentions and that now, here in this restaurant with us having only been with each other for a few hours so far...was not the right time.

"Believe it or not, you're a pretty easy guy to miss having around, Bruce," I answered cheekily but honestly, and not without my usual flare, "...from time to time."

At this, the vigilante tilted his head to a side and cocked up a questioning eyebrow at me, inadvertently looking absolutely adorable in his confusion.

I licked my suddenly dry lips and chuckled at his endearing expression before standing up from my seat.

"Wow. It's not often that I can shock someone like you. I better circle today on my calender in red," I could not help but jab at him lightheartedly, pleased when he rolled those beautiful eyes and smirked at my joke just the same and stood up as well.

X


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

 _Third Person POV_

Later...

"Why...Master Dick...now you definitely are a sight for sore eyes. It's so good to see you, my boy!" Alfred Pennyworth exclaimed happily as he opened his arms and welcomed Dick Grayson inside the towering Wayne manor and gave him a warm hug.

Dick returned the hug with a smile, giving the aged butler a little extra squeeze to let him know how much he had missed him while he has been away.

"Thanks Alfred. How are you doing these days?" Dick asked his long time friend and oftentimes confidant, noticing how Bruce had entered into the home just behind him and closed the door but otherwise remained quiet so they could catch up.

"Just as spry as ever, dear boy. Why, any day now, I expect to join you all gallivanting on the rooftops," Alfred joked in his very distinct way, something Dick realized right away that he truly missed hearing.

Dick laughed out loud and clapped Alfred on the back.

Bruce smirked from where he stood at a distance and blinked serenely at the sight of his two most precious people getting along and chatting merrily with one another.

He was about to turn away when he heard Alfred speak up once more.

"So, Master Dick...how long shall we be expecting your stay? I might need to make a trip to the market to make sure we have all of your favorites here just in case," the wise butler asked conversationally of his young charge, a question that caught Bruce's attention that he had to know the answer as well.

Dick locked eyes with Bruce, catching him eavesdropping, at the billionaire remained partially in the corridor but still watching the scene in the main foyer.

Bruce remained frozen in place, needing to hear the answer, having wanted to ask the very same thing of Dick all this time they had been spending together since he had arrived in Gotham several hours ago.

Dick breathed a knowing, teasing smile at Bruce, never taking his eyes away from that compelling figure even as he answered Alfred by his side.

"Hm. Well, I was definitely thinking a few days, but who knows...I guess we'll see what happens. I might stay longer," Dick provided cryptically and then turned to face Alfred's cheery face once more.

"Excellent news, sir," the butler agreed and ushered him further into the manor.

Bruce blinked his eyes down and processed what Dick had just said...more like how he had said it.

" _Dick has been acting strange...well, even more strange than usual...like he has some kind of hidden agenda he isn't telling me about...I wonder what could be up,"_ Bruce's highly analytical mind whirred with the possible answers to his question as he shook his head a bit and then finally ventured down the corridor to head towards the kitchen for a drink.

The house was quiet at this time of day.

No televisions were on.

No urgent matters making people fill his house and fill every nook and cranny with noise.

Bruce calmed his mind as he retrieved a bottle of water from the refrigerator and sat down at the beautiful, rustic wood table located by the large bay window that faced the south-side of the estate gardens.

The sun was bright in the clear blue sky and the view of the immaculately kept gardens was nothing short of splendid.

" _Maybe Dick was just lonely too, up in Bludhaven. He never really talked about any friends that he has up there..."_ Bruce's mind supplied as he sipped from the water bottle and continued to look out the window, still dressed in his suit but with the tie loosened around his neck.

" _Well, whatever the reason..."_ his thoughts continued, delving into something even more personal, something deeper than just his surface deductions, something he could not stop himself from thinking even if he had wanted to, _"...I hope he stays. It's good having him back."_

At that, Bruce stood up from the table, accepting what his thoughts had revealed to him, as he began navigating back around to the grand staircases located at the foyer so he could go to the master bedroom.

" _At any rate, Gotham has been quiet lately...that's either a really good thing or a really bad thing...so it might actually have been for the best that Dick decided to come back to Gotham right now. I could use the help in case things get ugly,"_ the vigilante's mind was on auto-pilot as he walked up the stairs to the second floor, already taking off his suit jacket and tie and was beginning to unbutton his white dress shirt along the way.

The garments in his hands were tossed over the back of a chair once inside the master bedroom, Bruce not even glancing in the tall mirror in front of him as he stretched his neck and began unfastening his belt buckle.

Feeling like he needed to remove his wife beater undershirt first before his pants, the billionaire crime fighter simply left his pants unbuckled and opened as he instead brought his large hands to his remaining shirt and quickly lifted the light material off of him.

"Wow..."

Bruce immediately looked towards the mirror upon hearing someone speak from behind him.

In the mirror's reflection, he saw Dick leaning casually against the door frame, his arms crossed and a mischievous smirk on his face as he had obviously been there for a while without the other man knowing.

"Getting a little careless in your old age, hm? No one sneaks up on Batman...usually," Dick teased as he pushed off of the door frame with his elbow and sauntered further inside the master bedroom, never taking his dark blue eyes off of the powerful, half-dressed man in front of him.

Bruce knew that Dick was just making one of his usual, good-natured jabs at him like he does with everyone, but there had been one word that had struck him harder than most...one word that he himself had thought recently.

 _Careless._

Bruce lowered his eyes, downtrodden and feeling shame upon hearing such a word again, finding himself unable to answer his former trainee.

A strong but small hand sliding across his bare chest and then tenderly grasping his chin forced Bruce back into reality as he immediately lifted his widened gaze to seek out Dick's patient expression.

"Hey big guy..." Dick kept his touches soft and his voice even softer as he searched the vigilante's crystal-blue eyes and striking features and slowly retracted his hand, "...no one's totally shocked when you don't smile, but...but you usually don't look this sad. What's the matter, Bruce?"

Bruce parted his lips to reply...but then hesitated, unable to look away from Dick's attractive face so close to his own, as if his gentle touches and words had lulled him into some kind of temporary stupor...or just reminded him that he was so deprived of such treatment that his genius brain had forgotten how to respond at all.

"It's nothing. I've just got a lot on my mind and..." Bruce finally spoke and broke the silence hovering between them, taking a step away from Dick and putting more distance between their bodies.

"Listen, if you ever..." Dick attempted to gingerly interrupt the Wayne heir, taking another step forward, but Bruce turned away from him and picked up the plain black t-shirt lying on his bed and pulled it over his head.

"You planning on coming on patrol tonight? It's been a while since you've seen Gotham...she's changed," Bruce asked with a smirk as he finished rearranging the t-shirt across his scarred torso, changing the topic and his demeanor in one fell swoop which told Dick two things.

There definitely was something bothering him, and he did not want to talk about it.

Dick would never describe his personality as anything close to patient, but when it came to Bruce...this man...he would wait.

Nightwing beamed a showstopping smile.

"I did pack some play clothes."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

 _Third Person POV_

That night...

"You got to relax, old man," Nightwing placated his former mentor playfully, casting his charming smirk towards him as he spoke, "...let the scum come to you! It just makes life easier."

Batman sighed from where he remained perched on top of the ancient gargoyle that overlooked most of a fourteen block radius of interwoven corporate buildings and their adjacent warehouses.

"I have a hard time just sitting still while they're out there, Nightwing," the older male spoke with a grave sobriety but also with a bit of a far-away sound in his voice, his cape billowing out like a rippling fragment of pitch black night he had affixed to himself with his own hands.

"I know you do," the acrobat agreed, remaining crouched next to the bigger male and resting a blue and black-colored forearm across his bent knee, "...I guess what I'm really saying is that I wish you would go easier on yourself. None of us can do this forever, and...and I would like to see you be able to finally..."

"Ha ha ha ha! Let's give that punk what he deserves!" a thug cackled loudly, cutting off Grayson's words and catching both of their rapt attention as he stumbled from around the corner with a few others on his flanks.

His unsteady gait told of his drunkenness.

His tone spoke of madness.

Batman stirred but only just.

Nightwing spared one last glance at the Dark Knight, able to sense underneath all that black just how much Bruce was itching to thrash those guys' faces.

The drunken thugs entered into the warehouse, just like Batman knew they would, all of their movements obvious and loud as if they did not have a care in the world or stalking predators in their midst.

"You take the front. We don't have a head count yet," Batman ordered sternly of his partner as the both of them stood up.

Nightwing gave his calf muscles a good stretch and replied calmly, "No problem. Should be a walk in the park. These guys aren't in league with any of the big players, so this should be like riding a bike."

Before Batman could comment on his colleague's strange taste in humor, Nightwing had already leapt beautifully off of the side of the building and onto the top of the construction machinery that remained parked just below their position.

Batman's steps were silent as he went to the skylight windows that peered straight down into the center of the warehouse, the moonlight illuminating inside the building in a shining silver.

" _...twelve total men inside,"_ the vigilante thought calmly to himself as he only remained kneeling at the skylight windows for a moment more before standing up, _"...six near the southwest corner...four at the table in the back and two up front keeping watch. Nightwing will get those two first. All are armed with semi-automatic handguns."_

With the last of his observations ringing clearly in his mind, Batman fished out a simple pick from his utility belt and released the ancient latches that had kept the window locked down, knowing that no high-tech security was in place to trip an alarm anywhere.

The skylight window did make the tiniest of creaks as Batman slipped inside, but he knew the goons below were already making too much noise themselves to notice.

With a hand holding onto the piping overhead that ran along the ceiling, Batman stilled his breathing as he closed the window after him and then brought that hand to the pipes as well, holding his weight and dangling high above the thugs.

The group of six men were playing cards and laughing wildly at a table in the corner closest to him. The group of four were talking and drinking and Batman knew that they might be the ones to pose the most threat. They seemed the most calm and sober of the bunch.

The two at the door were already gone.

" _Nightwing has gotten better at stealth attacks,"_ Batman mentally complimented his protege as he kicked his legs a few times to give himself momentum to swing from the piping and onto the highest metal walkway that seemed to wind a few times around the warehouse for storage.

Bruce landed with ease on the metal grated walkway, his long cape masking nearly all of his movements inside the poorly lit building.

" _Here we go..."_

Grappling gun in hand, Batman shot the device out towards the opposite wall's railing, knowing that the explosive noise would end his stealth mode and signal the fight.

Just like how he wanted...

"Huh?!"

"What was that?"

"Look up there!"

The thugs were immediately in a frenzy, but Batman paid their haste and shouts little mind as he threw several smoke pellets at their feet as he let the grapple snatch him across the width of the warehouse from one end to the other.

Batman held his device tight and kicked many of the goons down in a bulldozing sweep before releasing the grapple so he could remain in the fray of coughing, scrambling men.

"Get him!"

"I can't see!"

"Just shoot him!"

Bruce could have laughed at their bumbling antics but like all of his battles, he was ready to take this seriously.

With precise and powerful movements that made for no wasted energy from the brutal Batman, legs were kicked out from underneath their bodies before heavy, gloved fists smashed into the goons' teeth and temples amidst the flowing grey smoke.

"Hey, you want to give a guy a little warning next time you decide to gas the room? Whoa there!" Nightwing called out to his partner before leaping high into the air in a perfect splits position that had the lout running towards him suddenly slam into a wooden crate located just behind the crimefighter.

"I count five left," Batman provided the information, dodging another sloppy fist and catching the other hand, breaking it, that was holding a gun that clattered uselessly to the ground.

"Same as what I got," Nightwing confirmed as he bounded over the next thug, easily avoiding the few rounds fired off from the stumbling drunkard that clanged noisily against the aluminum warehouse siding.

The smoke was clearing fast and more gunfire sliced through the general ruckus, causing Batman and Nightwing to quickly evade. The pair ducked and wove in and out of the shadows as they closed in on the remaining men, using their anger and clumsiness against them as they maneuvered towards them like race cars on a winding track.

 _Bam!_

"Ugh...ow...shit!" Nightwing suddenly exclaimed, catching Batman's full attention from his end after Bruce tripped two more of the goons and then knocked them out with a slam against the pavement.

Grayson took one step back from what Bruce could see, the younger crimefighter seeming to be holding his arm before Nightwing suddenly exploded in a flurry of spinning kicks, his eskrima sticks held wide and catching the last three men with multiple blows before Dick landed on his feet.

Batman rushed to his partner's side, placed a gentle hand on Dick's arm and watched as he winced a bit from the touch.

"It's not broken..." Batman voiced thickly but stopped upon hearing one more of the fallen goons groan at their feet.

The Dark Knight furiously grabbed the man by the collar of his coat and hoisted him up off of the ground as if he weighed nothing, putting his masked face right in the goon's scared expression and gritted his teeth.

 _Crack!_

Even Dick flinched upon seeing Batman headbutt the goon with so much might that it immediately shattered the man's nose and made him gurgle on his own blood and teeth before he was dropped back down.

"Are you alright?" Batman turned back to Dick with a hand reaching forward in concern.

Nightwing smiled at the gesture from the older male, especially after seeing him deliver such a devastating blow to that poor oaf on the ground.

"Hey...no sweat. Compared to that guy being only able to eat applesauce from now on, I'm good," Nightwing joked but it did little to quell Batman's worry.

Both knew that they would need to talk about later.

X

Later in the cave...

Dick huffed a bit as Bruce inspected his arm, making it bend this way and that and telling him to squeeze his fingers.

"Look...it's nothing serious. I've had way worse injuries and..." Dick tried to reason with the billionaire, but stopped talking the second that Bruce shot his ice-blue gaze straight into his features and told him without words to hush up.

"Blow from a pipe, it looks like...might have bruised the bone a bit, Dick..." Bruce spoke somberly, finishing wrapping the younger male's upper arm in bandages and then carefully pinning the ends.

"Yeah..." Dick sort of breathed the word out, staring at Bruce with heavy-lidded eyes as the latter remained so close to him, fussing over him.

Bruce was seated with one of Dick's legs in between his own and his large, hot hands tracing all over his arm, not even noticing the way Grayson's eyes were raking up and down every inch of him in the meantime.

His jet black hair was delightfully messy upon the removal of Batman's cape and cowl but he remained in his heavy black body suit while he tended to Grayson's injured arm before seeing to his own needs, having insisted that it be so.

"You're better than this...what were you thinking?" Bruce voiced, finished with his work and inspection at last, as he lifted his head again and cast his piercing gaze upon his former charge once more.

Dick did not...could not move away.

They were so close and Grayson swallowed hard.

"That bastard got the jump on me because I was...distracted," Dick replied, his words still sounding strange to the vigilante and Bruce cocked his head a little in confusion.

"Distracted? By what?" he had to ask, the genius detective not understanding such an answer from the equally intelligent acrobat.

"You," Dick confessed with a smirk.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

 _Third Person POV_

" _That bastard got the jump on me because I was...distracted," Dick replied, his words still sounding strange to the vigilante and Bruce cocked his head a little in confusion._

" _Distracted? By what?" he had to ask, the genius detective not understanding such an answer from the equally intelligent acrobat._

" _You," Dick confessed with a smirk._

Bruce's eyes widened and his whole body stilled as if time itself had slowed down and could not move him.

His brilliant mind fumbled and his voice hesitated.

Dick moved closer.

"The way you move in a fight...I'd forgotten how...amazing you are," the younger male practically purred the words to his mentor, navy blue eyes sliding down Bruce's parted lips, square chin and smooth throat.

Suddenly Bruce stood up from his chair, almost knocking it over in the process and took a few wide steps around the table to put some distance between himself and Dick Grayson.

"It's been a long night and..." the black-clad vigilante seemed to be struggling coming up with words to say, his eyes looking anywhere but Dick's own gaze, "...Alfred can show you to your room, so...good night."

The acrobat watched as Bruce took the main staircase, exiting the cave without another word and leaving Dick sitting there alone.

"Damn..." he muttered out loud, sighing out his air and dropping his shoulders, "should have known that would happen."

" _Take it slower...don't scare him off..."_ Dick told himself as he stood up and fixed his shirt, rolling down the short sleeve over his bandaged arm and walking over to a small mirror.

" _Yeah right...Batman? Scared? That would be a first,"_ he argued with himself a bit, chuckling in the mirror even though he was trying to inspect Bruce's handiwork on his arm.

" _Perfect, as usual,"_ he noted as he flexed his arm a few times then looked directly into his eyes reflected back at him.

" _Still...he did look confused, but I guess I should have expected that. I just need more time to tell him how I feel...steady now, Grayson,"_ Dick acquiesced with himself, bringing up a hand and raking his fingers through his hand before tapping his cheek a few times, almost as if to perk himself back up.

"Master Dick? Is everything alright, sir? You didn't even hear me enter the cave," came Alfred's rich English voice from several yards behind Dick.

Dick turned towards the kind butler and smiled a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Just fine, Alfred, thanks," Dick replied with color in his voice even though his gaze had to rise up from the dark cave floor.

"Come now, sir...let's get you settled in for the night. You look exhausted," Alfred commented cordially, motioning towards the stairs to the main house with warmth in his old eyes.

"Sleep does sound pretty good right about now. Show me the way, Alfred!" Dick chuckled a bit as he accepted Alfred's offer, feeling his spirits lift a bit upon having Alfred on his side and cheering him up.

"Of course, sir," Alfred said, waiting until Dick had walked over to him until he began ascending the stairs with his charge trailing after him.

"Alfred...how do I fix this?" Dick asked with gravel in his voice, shoving away the knot of dread in his stomach.

The younger male knew that the butler probably already knew everything that had happened and why.

Alfred Pennyworth had eyes and ears in the back of his head – something the sole surviving Grayson had learned when he had been just a boy running around the halls of Wayne Manor.

"My dear boy, just like that wound you received on your arm tonight, all it takes in a bit of time and patience and all things will heal again," the butler answered for him as they continued walking up to the guest room on the second floor already prepared for the young man's stay.

"Master Bruce has never been the most transparent person to be around, but just give him a few more days, Master Dick...I'm sure he'll come around," Alfred continued, placing a warm hand on top of Dick's shoulder as they reached his room.

The old man's words did manage to perk the acrobat up a bit, and for that Dick was grateful.

They were possibly the only two people in the world who knew the shadowy, mysterious man named Bruce Wayne best, so when Alfred spoke of him to Dick – he listened.

"Thanks, Alfred...I appreciate it," Grayson spoke seriously to the butler, receiving an understanding nod from the older gentleman before he took his leave of him.

" _Al's right..."_ Dick's thoughts manifested much more clearly to him now that he was alone and feeling his spirits rise again, _"...tomorrow's another day and giving up is not in my vocabulary, so what's there to worry about...?"_

"Get ready, Bruce...I've barely gotten started with you," he spoke aloud with renewed confidence, tossing his jacket onto his impressive bed and already anticipating the following morning.

X

At the same time...

 _Splash._

Bruce took another deep breathe as he leaned against the sink inside the master bathroom, letting the water drip off of his face as he watched his reflection, sizing up the man staring back at him.

He sighed out his air and shook his head, feeling confused and more than a little concerned about his former student's actions in the cave.

Bruce could still perfectly recall how close he and Dick had been, touching at the knees and thighs, and that raw, pleading look that had been in the young man's navy blue eyes directed at him.

" _It could have been nothing...just the painkillers kicking in or something like that,"_ Bruce told himself, picking up the small white towel draped over the sink and bringing it to his face, patting his skin dry and ruffling his jet black hair a bit.

" _We spent all day together today...getting used to each other again just like old times...he did surprise me by just showing up..."_ Bruce's mind continued to pick apart the facts and try to detect anything, any information, that he might have missed as he made his way out of the bathroom and into the master bedroom, _"...so what was all that in the cave, then? What's going on?"_

No lights were turned on as the crimefighter literally collapsed in bed, drained and with too many thoughts and questions plaguing his mind, unsettling him despite his growing fatigue.

 _I'd forgotten how...amazing you are._

Bruce's baby blue eyes snapped open upon recalling Dick's words to him.

Even the tone of Grayson's voice had been darker, deeper, and with so much meaning behind everything he had said to Batman.

 _The way you move in a fight...I'd forgotten how...amazing you are..._

Bruce moved his tongue around inside his suddenly dry mouth, applying moisture here and there.

" _Maybe he's in some kind of trouble...maybe he just needs my help and doesn't know how to ask. Dick always did have his pride..."_ the billionaire forced his racing mind to reason with himself so that he may calm down at last, regain his peace and hopefully get some sleep this night, _"...I'll talk to him as soon as I'm done with League business tomorrow."_

X


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

 _Bruce's POV_

" _It's been two weeks...I still don't know what's wrong with Grayson. Sometimes he seems like he needs to tell me something urgent...other times it's like he wants to avoid me at all costs,"_ I reminded myself again, going over my former charge's latest strange behavior in my head and still coming up short.

"Some detective I am," I spoke aloud, a humorless sneer in my tone to myself as I remained in the shadows on the roof of Wayne Enterprises.

Being here put me quite a long distance away from downtown and Chinatown, but it was one of the tallest, well-lit buildings in Gotham and I could see almost all of the city from here.

A light rain had just started but I hardly even felt it anymore after going on so many patrols like this.

If anything, the rain masked me even more as I moved about the city, so I had begun to welcome its added cloak.

I sighed as another regretful memory flicked into my head amidst such a dreary calm.

Dick had gotten frustrated with me earlier today at the manor...and it had been my fault.

He was telling me he wanted to go on more patrols with me...at my side...that we work better together rather than splitting up all the time.

He was truly telling me he wanted to spend more time with me.

Unknowingly, I had cut him off, nose still buried in the paperwork I had taken home from work, and I had not even looked up from the print to acknowledge the conversation.

I had said that he doesn't need me...and that the whole point of us splitting up was to cover more ground.

It had not been my intention, but I had totally dismissed what he was really trying to tell me.

He had shouted, as well he should have, at me...and I realize now that I had deserved it.

"How could I act like that towards him..." my voice whispered without my full consent.

" _Dick is..."_ my mind continued to lament, running and running and not stopping or slowing any of thoughts as they came to me while I felt terrible for being so cold towards one of my most precious people once again, _"perfect and good and...he doesn't deserve...anything cruel in this world...and...I should...I should tell him how much I..."_

"Found ya," a masculine, cheerful voice snapped me out of my rarely-lost senses, welcoming me back to a rainy reality but somehow I did not mind at all.

I whipped my head to my left just in time to see blue and black come into vision, accompanied by strong legs and a bright smile, as Dick flipped off of the end of a scaffold and landed on the rooftop with me.

"Nightwing..." I began but ended whatever I was going to say with a small sigh, all of my previously racing thoughts being as silent as grave now.

"The one and only! Please, no pictures..." he beamed, giving me his best movie star expressions as he walked over to me.

"Funny," I grinned, "how were things downtown?"

"Shockingly quiet. Caught a few robbers trying to wait for a subway," Nightwing reported with his usual upbeat nature and tone, "I guess that's one thing we can always count on with the common criminal never learning any better."

I almost laughed but my thoughts had kicked back on and had reminded me why I had been feeling so glum just a moment before.

Dick. Fight. My fault.

Right...

"Listen, Dick..." I started, my words were careful and weighted, especially as I felt Dick move even closer to me so that our arms were almost touching, "...I'm sorry about not listening to what you were saying before. That was wrong of me. You're not a child anymore, so I shouldn't treat you like one. I'm sorry."

Nightwing gasped comically and placed a hand to his chest as if I had just shocked him.

He always did have an over-the-top sense of humor.

I rolled my eyes at his antics but then turned to look at him directly, knowing that Dick would speak now.

"It's about time you noticed I've grown up," Dick chided lightheartedly but not without a serious tone in his voice which told me he was done joking around, "...I'm glad you said that. I'm sorry I blew up about it."

At this, I politely shook my head.

"You were right. We do work well together; it was stupid of me to forget that," I admitted, immediately feeling a little relieved to see him grin and nod.

"Hey...forget about it," he offered and began cracking his knuckles, "...we got work to do."

He was right again.

"The Riddler and Penguin have been spotted downtown moving goods. If we catch them red-handed, we may find the masterminds behind the latest string of jewel heists," I informed my colleague, watching him jump in place and stretch his neck a few times, his way of getting his blood and adrenaline rushing so he could be ready for anything.

I almost smirked at his routine and noted that this was just another subtle difference between him and me. He needed to do something to get ready for a fight.

I was always ready.

"Let's get going, Nightwing," I ordered, letting him know with my tone that it was time to go to work.

Together we sprang from the rooftop in a flurry of shadows and movement, ropes catching vantage points and propelling us ever forward towards the heart of the murky city.

While Chinatown was coated in red and gold lights and banners, downtown was kept dimmed with the ink of the old buildings and roads where white light dots were sparse from streetlamps.

Downtown Gotham had its own atmosphere, it's own smell and pulse. It had good and evil both running through its veins.

Movement and hushed noises caught my rapt attention.

One glance to Dick let him know to halt on this next ledge so we can come with a strategy.

Nightwing landed with perfect poise and tilted his head towards the quiet commotion below us. The building in front of ours was taller, broader, with many windows and ways in and out. The top floor seemed to have a patio that wrapped around the sides, crowning what I recognized to be an old mental hospital that was no longer in use.

"Well they sure picked the creepiest place of all time to do their evil-doing in, don'tcha think?" Dick pointed out about the building, "...well boss?" he asked.

"We don't know if this is the bust with Riddler and Penquin. We also don't know how many of their lackeys could be in there;" I prefaced, "our position now does not give us the advantage, so I think we should split up and check out the building before making any big moves. Signal me immediately if you see one of the targets."

"Got it," Nightwing agreed to my orders before diving off the ledge and disappearing.

Knowing Dick and how he thinks, I knew he would go to the front of the building, so I headed towards the back.

I stuck to the shadows as I easily crossed to the next adjacent building which would give me better access to my destination.

I could see more men move about now as they cut across the empty parking lot to get to their vans, boxes and crates in their arms.

" _It looks like they're moving some kind of equipment..."_ I thought as I took a moment to observe their actions, _"...could be something related to the jewels and diamonds that have recently been stolen."_

I spotted an open window of the building on the fifth floor.

" _This is my chance,"_ I affirmed to myself before running off of the rooftop and using my glider wings to navigate across the velvet night sky and into the building.

" _Easy now, Bruce..."_ my thoughts continued as I took in my stale, darkened surroundings, _"...better contact Nightwing."_

"I'm in," I spoke quietly, trusting that the transmitter in my mask was still operational in this strange building.

"W-w-ha...? I-c-c-c-hear...o-o-u..."

"Nightwing? Can you read me?" I asked a little louder, suddenly alarmed as I walked a little further into the room blindly.

"Sorry Batman, he's busy at the moment, but it's actually you for whom we've been waiting."

A snide voice sang through my being and made me twist towards the sound.

A speaker box.

"Surely you remember me? I am the greater mind between us, after all," none other than the Riddler spoke again through the speaker, making my eyes narrow in anger, "...by the way, did you like all those pathetic jewelry store robberies to put you on my trail? Penguin thought you were too clever to fall for that, but I knew better."

I hurried out of the room, shoving my annoyance away, but stopped short upon seeing several men approaching.

All of them were armed with pipes, bats, and chains.

"It's very rude to walk away when someone is trying to tell you how much smarter they are than you, Batman," Riddler taunted from more speaker boxes that seemed to be in the corridor as well.

I slid into a fighting stance, ready to defend against their weapons and slow movements and find Nightwing as soon as possible.

"You'll also be pleased to know that these men have all been specially trained just for this moment," the criminal went on, obviously smiling with how jovial his words sounded, "...you've met your match this time, Batman. We need you alive for the surprise later."

"Riddler...what are you up to? Where is Nightwing?" I managed to say through my gritted teeth, eying and counting the men in front of me as they drew nearer.

The count was so far.

"Ah-ah, Batman...you'll have to wait and see. As for your Boy Wonder, the boys are simply playing with him until we have the package secured. Now, men...bring him to me."

X


End file.
